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Dirk Pinkerton’s Latest Artisan Collab Finally Arrives

July 1, 2020

Artisan Cutlery is now rolling out the Tacit, the latest folding knife from returning collaborator Dirk Pinkerton. The Tacit arrives after an extended prototype phase and fills a different role than Pinkerton’s previous work with Artisan.

One hallmark of Pinkerton’s work is his attention to blade shapes. He regularly works with unusual profiles, and for the Tacit he created a blade that blends the trailing point’s bold sweep with the two-edged American tanto grind. Measuring 3.42 inches long, the Tacit’s blade can move between different types of cutting chores thanks to this hybrid shape. The Tacit gives users a choice when they open the knife: they can use the meaty flipper tab, or they flick the knife open with the thumb studs – which then meet up with a groove in the handle scales to function as exterior blade stops. In an interesting twist, the Tacit is currently available only in a Damascus steel.

With the Proponent, his first Artisan Cutlery design, Pinkerton utilized straight lines for the handle design and took a no holds-barred approach to size, creating an absolute monster of the knife. The Tacit on the other hand has an arched handle shape and more conventional folding knife proportions: the heaviest version weighs 4.06 ounces – less than half of the G-10 Proponent, which was the lightest available version of that knife.

Artisan is bringing out three different versions of the Tacit, all situation on the premium end of their pricing spectrum. A titanium frame lock off-side scale is a constant, but the front scale can be had in titanium, Micarta, or carbon fiber. The carbon fiber model brings the weight down to 3.17 oz., with the Micarta just a tad heavier than that at 3.35 oz. The sinuous sculpted pocket clip remains the same across all variations.

The Tacit was first spotted last year, but took a long time to get just right. “This model made the rounds at Blade Show West last year but needed a little more tweaking to get it just right,” says Artisan Cutlery’s Russell Soffiotto. “After going over the design a few times with Mr. Pinkerton we’ve settled on this final version and we are quite happy with it.”

The Tacit is starting to arrive with dealers now.

Knife in Featured Image: Artisan Cutlery Tacit

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